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Dog Ill
Our dog is ten and a half. I had a horrible feeling last week as our last dog died 3 years ago - at christmas. He started being ill on christmas day and was put to sleep 3 days later. So the kids have only really just got over that, and stopped associating xmas with doggy disaster when...
We were woke up in the middle of the night by the dog scratching at our bedroom door. She has a routine and normally only comes in at 7am. We let her in. But she couldn't get on the bed, or settle down but kept walking up and down panting.
I got her an appointment for 4:15 at the vet's. She is insured but the excess is something awful and this couldn't happen at a worse time - not just ££ but in terms of the kids.
She's flinching if you go to stroke her, and if she gets too close to something, panics a bit - hard to explain. She can't sit down or rest (she's normally unconscious all day). She's clearly distressed.
Will see what it is later - hopefully something minor. Will coem on later with the news.
Just had to offload that somewhere.
We were woke up in the middle of the night by the dog scratching at our bedroom door. She has a routine and normally only comes in at 7am. We let her in. But she couldn't get on the bed, or settle down but kept walking up and down panting.
I got her an appointment for 4:15 at the vet's. She is insured but the excess is something awful and this couldn't happen at a worse time - not just ££ but in terms of the kids.
She's flinching if you go to stroke her, and if she gets too close to something, panics a bit - hard to explain. She can't sit down or rest (she's normally unconscious all day). She's clearly distressed.
Will see what it is later - hopefully something minor. Will coem on later with the news.
Just had to offload that somewhere.
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She is still the same. Hasn't been sick or anything, though. She is insured but we still have to find £80 from somewhere excess, whatever the problem unless it's her old condition (eye problems) - then at least will get it back.
Insurance as going up to £70 odd a month and we've been struggling to pay it. Now am glad we have.
Well the dog not being sick is a good sign
we're in a similar situation with our (very very nearly) 14 year old collie
only theres not a lot the vet can do for her, she has a growth in her throat that causes her irritation and recently she's been sick a lot, but after a jab and some tablets form the vet that seems to have calmed down
she is having stages though lately of just wandering around, not sure what she wants, and playing musical beds
however, she's still herself, enjoys company and her food and going out, albeit not very far as she can't manage it. while she is still happy enough to carry on, we're going to leave her to it, but once she decides she'd had enough we won;t hesitate with her, if the last thing we can do for her is to let her go peacefully when she's ready, we'll do all we can for her.
unfortunately we do realise that time will come sooner rather than later with her, as she has now lost some weight too, but while she's still around, she can have whatever she likes to make her happy until the decision has to be made.
i really do wish you all the best with your dog
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=46792684&posted=1#post46792684
xdow - this is really ringing bells as she's been odd for a while. Which mainly consists of going to doors, asking to be let out, then refusing to go out. Not once or twice but maybe a dozen times in a morning or afternoon. (She is still perfectly continent).
That had seemed to settle a bit lately, the going out and refusing or going out and then forgetting why she went out...
Vet found a minor ear infection one side, slightly worse one the other. Can feel nothing sinister and says her heart sounds fine. So she gave her a pain-killing injection and said "She'll probably be out like a light and sleep all evening" She hasn't. It was only an hour or so back she finally lay down and even then she keeps getting up. She's panting a bit less. We have ear drops and anti inflammatories and have to go back tomorrow. Vet said if she seems improved - that's probably all it was. But if not, she'll do bloods and investigate further.
She doesn't seem massively better although the shaking is a bit less and the panting has stopped in the past hour or so... but she keeps standing up, going to the 'spare' sofa (that she never sits on, and that is empty) and literally 'crying'. She is a very silent dog - will never cry or vocalise ever - we go years without hearing her bark or growl or cry or anything.
When I lifted her to the sofa, she got straight back off it. She is normally a really cuddly, affectionate dog but doesn;t want anyone to go near her. She eventually settled next to me when I sat on the floor, but only so long as I sat with my hand on her back. I've now popped out for a break and one of the kids has taken over.
We'll see what vet thinks tomorrow.
Cheers everyone for the good wishes. I didn;t even get round to mentioning to the vet the senile behaviours as I guess they're normal for an elderly dog (she's a breed that commonly lives to around 10 if they're lucky and is 10 1/2) But maybe I will tomorrow as the crying and staring at the sofa business tonight has been freaky.
It was as if she thought someone was there.
If it's not her hearing, vet will send her to specialist to run eye tests again as she may have finally gone blind and she'll have blood tests too in case it's summat else. Insurance only start picking up the tab after £80 and we should be there tomorrow (£60 today)...
We're with Direct Line. The premiums were really breaking us every month - it's almost our biggest monthly bill - but we're glad we stuck with it, now. Even so, we're going to have to pay the vet's upfront and claim back afterwards which it a killer esp this time of year when stony broke.:eek: If she's OK, though will be worth it.
She saw a second vet xmas eve who said the staring at the sofa thing might be a central nervous system thing - ie: senile dementia. So she has prescribed something that is a dietary supplement rather than a heavy duty drug, but that they've had good results with - something to do with mopping up free radicals i think - but may take a month or more to kick in.
There wasn;t a lot of improvement, but a little bit by the time we saw vet 2. But straight after that vet visit, she perked up quite a bit - still not her usual friendly, tail waggy self but stopped the panting and shaking and did, finally, on xmas day, get a lot of sleep. This morning (Boxing Day) woke up fine but started to get panty and distressed again a little after I did her meds, (think the ear anti inflammatory must be working?) but now in the late afternoon, is OK again, if a bit dithery.
Her bloods came back normal, so they don't think it's cancer or anything like that. In fact they said she had really 'healthy' blood for a dog her age. So relief there! We had thought she was improving til the little setback this morning. Now not sure what to think. We're at £130 and counting but the insurance will pick up everything above the initial £80.
Any of you have any tips on coping with a senile doggy, I'd love to hear them. She is going back to the vet later in the week. The second vet picked up on the dementia pretty quickly.
She finally ate as well as slept yesterday and has eaten this morning.
I'm wondering whether to go back to feeding her the stuff she ate a few years back as I know humans with dementia - their brains 'die' from the otuside in, and so they feel comforted by things that used to be familiar. If that makes sense...?
Thanks, mollipops. I asked the vet if she was likely to get snappy - as she's not got that 'loving' looks she normally has anymore, almsot like she hardly remembers us - (all very sudden, she was OK last week?) Vet said if she's been a gentle dog before she's likely to be a gentle senile dog. It's a concern as I have young kids. So far so good, though and I've told the kids not to swoop down and kiss her, or overcrowd her, too much, or pester her. I know what you mean about what's kindest at the end and agree with you.
I will leave the light on for her. Thanks x.
He was up all night trying to go to the toilet , panting etc .....
We went to three vets before we got a diagnosis of three tumors ( one on the kidney which is why he could not go to the toilet )
Due to his age and a heart condition we had no choice but to put him down three weeks later . He went downhill fast sadly but in the end it was such a relief to put him out of his pain .
I am glad that your dog is improving and whatever it is is treat able .
Hopefully she'll be ok and have many more years.